Asking Pope Francis to critically examine his jobs advocacy

Abstract

The dominant economic system is an ugly and frightening thing, and
I desperately want to encourage everyone to think through its moral
implications. So I am excited that Roman Catholics currently have a Pope
who is at least drawing attention to economic issues, because they are
so essential to understanding every moral issue. His recent
prescriptions, however, betray a poor understanding of the true nature
of the disorder from both a historical and a Christian approach. So I
wrote him a letter.

Job
growth rhetoric is an enormous red flag for me, because such
programs are facilitated by generalized economic growth, which is
unsustainable (and, thus, necessarily destabilizing). Such a system is
driven by debt, which Jesus refuted harshly when he called for a renewal of
the Jewish jubilee program. Tied in with this is the fact that this system
ultimately uses people in ways that are exploitative, oppressive, dangerous,
and destructive. We don't need more jobs. We need to acknowledge and share
the gifts that God freely gives us to allow us to survive and prosper. So I
wrote him a letter.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam

Dear Pope Francis,

Only recently have I come to realize how dependent for my very
survival I am—and have been for my entire natural life—on a deeply
destructive, exploitative economic system. Fundamentally, this society, so
suffused with and confused by this sin, is itself ultimately dependent on
gifts that God has given to all of us, but abusing these gifts leads
inexorably to suffering and death. And so I repent of this dependence with
great sorrow for the destructiveness in which I have been complicit. I
know that forgiveness for this sin does not allow me to evade its
immediate consequences, but it does gain me access to a well of grace to
recognize how the world is broken and thus to be able to seek out healing
in the Kingdom of Heaven with sincerity.

I see how the world of this age seeks security outside of what God
provides, and I am flooded with sadness because I want people to be free
of this debilitating fear and isolation. The people of this world are
extremely afraid that what they have will be taken away, whether by
incident or intent, and this leads them to strive endlessly to extend
their power and possessions. This exploitation, born of fear, bores
relentlessly into the foundations of communities across the face of the
Earth. It is accomplished through debt, the commoditization of God's free
gifts, and the concomitant accumulation of fiscal wealth. People who serve
this relentless and expanding machine justify their work by asserting that
jobs can only be “created” when the overall pool of fiscal
wealth increases. In this world, people desperately pursue any jobs they
can get, seeking salvation in the economy rather than in the Word of God.
Thus is this world agonizingly stretched, again and again, to the point of
breaking, and beyond.

I recoil in horror when I cast my thoughts on many of the types of
work that our economic system offers. It employs people in brutal,
grueling, and degrading factory work; in jobs tearing down or ripping up
ever larger swaths of the environment to channel resources and energy
toward superfluous consumer products; in jobs devoted to finding ways to
alternatively seduce and cajole others into purchasing these products in
order to keep this very system flowing; in jobs orchestrating and managing
all the investment debt that encourages people to grow increasingly
wealthy from all this activity. The current world employs people to wreak
violence and death on others directly as soldiers and police officers.
Which of these jobs are good, moral, needful, and beautiful? Is this the
freedom that God provides? In
a homily on the same day as the address I noted previously, you yourself
also highlighted the tragic working conditions that afflicted the
Bangladeshis caught and killed in the recent factory collapse
there. These are the jobs that this world encourages!

To what end should our potency and vibrancy be directed, then? Made
in the image and likeness of our heavenly Father, we certainly yearn to
participate in His creative work. Our work is our way of sharing our gifts
out of gratitude for everything that God gives us to sustain us, and we
suffer when we find our ability to share our gifts stifled. We should not
seek answers, solutions, and salvation from this economic system and its
ability to provide jobs, though.

Jesus taught us another way, and the holy Spirit passionately wants
to return us to that way. This way is simple, although in the face of the
enormous momentum of the current world system, it is by no means easy:
when we share what God has already given us, we suddenly find that there
is abundantly enough for everyone (cf. Matthew
6:25–34). Jesus emphasizes the importance of giving everything
that we have, and he demonstrated this perfectly. When we empty ourselves
in true loving, generous poverty, then we recognize that God fills us with
all good things. Abandoning our fearful selfishness, we find that we are
supported by all those who reach out in faith to share what God has first
given them, and ultimately by God himself. Together, this nurturing Church
is animated by the holy Spirit, God. This economy is driven by joy and
gratitude; it is the most beautiful economy of the Kingdom of
Heaven.

If you perceive truth in this, please examine it thoughtfully and
prayerfully with respect to scripture and history. Then please exercise
your eminent position to invite us to see the truth and to aid us in
understanding that truth. Awareness of our brokenness has the potential to
trigger great despair, so please emphasize the availability and power of
healing offered by God through forgiveness of debts and sins. Make a clear
call for a regular jubilee practice throughout the universal Church.
Embrace support from your brothers and sisters wherever God provides it;
allow us to help you whenever we can. Share in our mourning, and in our
joy, as we stretch toward freedom from interwoven systemic oppression and
sin. Then please lead us as we work to recognize and organize our gifts in
such a way that they can best serve the needs of the whole Church. May God
bless you and guide you in all that you do.